Office equipment



Sept. 21, 1965 K. D. SCHREYER OFFICE EQUIPMENT Filed 001;. 31, 1963 BY @m, @M Quiz/1mm ATTOPN United States Patent 3,207,097 OFFICE EQUIPMENT Kenneth D. Schreyer, Batavia, Ill., assignor to Art Metal, Inc., Jamestown, N.Y. Filed Oct. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,266 Claims. (Cl. 108-92) This invention relates to office furniture, and more particularly to secretarial furniture of the type combining a primary worktable or desk and a supplemental return unit adapted to extend from beneath the primary component top plate to any desired position therebeyond to support a typewriter, calculating machine, or the like; or to provide any other form of supplemental work surface.

Whereas certain devices of the above described type have been previously developed and marketed, they have not been fully satisfactory for their intended usage because of when the supplemental units thereof are fully extended from beneath the primary unit, the back surfaces of the supplemental units do not align with the end surfaces of the primary units. Therefore, when the return unit is in extended position the two units do not achieve a truly modern contemporary styling effect, and in the event the units are backed against a wall surface or the like the supplemental unit does not hug the wall. Hence, an undesirable open space exists between the rear edge of the supplemental unit and the adjacent wall surface, thereby permitting loose items to fall therebetween from the tabletop.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved table-desk unit of the character described whereby the supplemental or return portion may with ease and facility be extended fully outwardly from the primary portion and incidentally adjusted so that the rear edges of both top working surfaces are in common vertical plane alignment. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a combination table-desk unit of the invention, showing the supplemental desk portion thereof and its extended, useful position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the primary desk component and the return desk component in front view; showing by means of broken lines the supplemental or return desk component in its retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section, on enlarged scale, taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

As shown in the drawing herewith the invention may be embodied for example in a table-desk unit including a primary worktable or desk component designated generally at and comprising a working top member 12 and vertical legs 14 under the four corners thereof. As shown in FIG. 1 the unit may include a bank of drawers, in any desired form. The supplemental return component of the unit is indicated generally at 15, and is illustrated to comprise a working top portion 16 supported at its outer end by means of paired legs 18-18. A back panel 20 suspends from the rear edge of the top member 16, and end panels 2222 and a bottom plate 24 are shown to provide a pedestal or housing support for sliding drawers as indicated generally at 25. In lieu thereof the unit may carry a stationery storage cabinet, or the like, as may be preferred.

The return unit 15 is thus provided in the form of an integrated self-sustaining structure and is operably associated with the primary table component 10 by means of ice a hanger bracket 26 which mounts under one end of the top member 16 as by means of screws 27. The bracket 26 is Z sectioned and its top flange portion 28 is laterally slotted as indicated at 29 (FIGS. 4, 5) to accommodate therethrough the shanks of a pair of wing bolts 30-30 which engage nuts 31-31 sliding in longitudinally grooved trackways 32-32 which are in turn bolted underneath the primary table top 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the track rails 32-32 are mounted in parallel relation underneath the primary table top 12 to run transversely thereof at one end of the main table, whereby the return unit may be moved between positions under the main table top 12 and outwardly extended therefrom as shown in FIGS. 1, 2. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, when the return unit is pulled outwardly to the position shown in FIG. 1, it by-passes the adjacent corner leg of the main table, and may then be sidewise displaced into the positional relation with the main table as shown by FIGS. 3, 4. Hence, the far edge of the return work surface 16 may thus be disposed in coplanar alignment with the adjacent end portion of the main work surface 12. Therefore a truly modern, so-called contemporary overall styling effect may be achieved with ease and facility in connection with a furniture construction of the present invention. Furthermore, as illustrated by FIG. 3, if the unit is disposed against a room wall or partition or the like, there will be no open space between the return work surface 16 and the adjacent wall surface.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the wing bolts 30-30 will normally be tightened up so as to lock the return desk component to the main desk component, when in either retracted or extended position; and that positional adjustments of the return desk are easily effected by simply first loosening the wing bolts an then pulling or pushing the return desk into the positional relation with the main desk. While the bolts 30-30 are free the return desk component will easily-slide in or out relative to the main desk, and also laterally, by virtue of the slot formations 29-29 in the Z bracket 26 so as to in effect by-pass the main table leg 14 which extends from the adjacent corner portion of the main table top. Then, the wing bolts are simply tightened to lock the unit in the desired position.

It will of course be understood that although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of furniture comprising, in combination, a main flat Working top portion and a supplemental flat working top portion arranged for relative telescopic movements whereby to permit said supplemental top portion to be disposed alternatively in extended and retracted positions relative to said main top portion, each of said top portions having support legs thereunder and said main top portion having a corner leg extending downwardly from a corner portion thereof, said supplemental top carrying at one end thereof a horizontally disposed bracket which is slotted transversely of the direction of telescopic movement, said main top having trackway means mounted thereon adjacent the end of said main top portion from which said corner leg extends and running in the direction of telescopic movement, pin means carried slidably by said trackway means and extending through said slotted bracket whereby said supplemental top portion may be alternatively retracted-extended relative to said main top portion while by-passing said corner leg and may be laterally shifted relative to said main top portion when clear of said corner leg, and means associated with said pin means for releasably locking the latter and thereby clamping said top portions together in various relative positions.

2. An article of furniture comprising, in combination, a main working surface portion and a supplemental working surface portion arranged for relative telescopic movements whereby to permit said supplemental portion to be disposed alternatively in extended and retracted positions relative to said main portion, each of said surface portions having support legs thereunder and said main surface portion having a corner leg extending downwardly from a corner portion thereof, said supplemental surface having at one end thereof a horizontally disposed portion which is slotted transversely of the direction of telescopic movement, said main surface portion having trackway means mounted thereon adjacent the end of said main surface portion from which said corner leg extends and running in the direction of telescopic movement, interconnection means carried slidably by said trackway means and extending through said slotted portion whereby said supplemental surface portion may be telescopically retracted and extended relative to said main surface portion while by-passing said corner leg and may be laterally shifted relative to said main surface portion when clear of said corner leg, and means associated with said interconnection means for releasably locking the latter and thereby clamping said surface portions together in various relative positions;

3. An article. of furniture comprising, in combination, a main flat working top portion and a supplemental fiat working top portion arranged for relative telescopic movements whereby to permit said supplemental top portion to be disposed alternatively in extended and retracted positions relative to said main top portion, each of said top portions having support legs thereunder and said main top portion having a corner leg extending down- Wardly from a corner portion thereof, said supplemental top engaging at one end thereof with a horizontally disposed bracket which is slotted transversely of the direction of telescopic movement, said main top having trackway means mounted thereon adjacent the end of said main top portion from which said corner leg extends and running in the direction of telescopic movement, connection means carried slidably by said trackway means and extending through said slotted bracket whereby said supplemental top portion may be telescopically retracted and extended relative to said main top portion while by-passing said corner leg and may be laterally shifted relative to said main top portion when clear of said corner leg, and means associated with said connection means for releasably locking the latter and thereby clamping said top portions together in various relative positions.

4. An article of furniture comprising, in combination, a main table having a flat working top portion and a supplemental table having a flat working top portion arranged for relative telescopic movements whereby to permit said supplemental top portion to be disposed alternatively in extended positions relative to said main top portion or retracted therebeneath, each of said top portions having support legs thereunder and said main top portion having a corner leg extending downwardly from a corner portion thereof, a horizontally disposed bracket which is slotted transversely of the direction of telescopic movement and carried by one of said top portions, trackway means mounted upon one of said top portions and running in the direction of telescopic movement, connection means carried slidably by said trackway means and extending through said slotted bracket whereby said supplemental table may be alternatively retracted and extended relative to said main table while by-passing said corner leg and may be laterally shifted relative to said main table when clear of said corner leg, and means associated with said connection means for releasably locking the latter and thereby clamping said tables together in various relative positions.

5. An article of furniture comprising, in combination,

a primary component including a top member having a straight end edge, leg structure adjacent to and depending alongside said end edge and leg structure disposed adjacent the opposite end of said top member, whereby the top member is supported in elevated, horizontal position,

a supplemental component including a top portion having a side edge parallel to said straight end edge of the primary component and leg structure disposed adjacent one end of said top portion,

and means slidably connecting the other end of said top portion to said primary component for movement of the supplemental component along a path parallel to said straight end edge and beneath said top member but between the opposite ends of said top member of the primary component, whereby the supplemental component is movable between a nested position below the top member of the primary component between the leg structure thereof and an extended position projecting laterally from said top member beyond said leg structure alongside said end edge, said means including mechanism slidably connecting the supplemental component to the primary component for movement in a direction normal to said side edge of the top portion to position said side edge of the supplemental component in a common vertical plane with said straight end edge of the primary component when the supplemental component is in its extended position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 573,960 12/96 Bruss 108-26 2,821,450 1/58 Knoll 108-92 2,860,021 11/58 Steele 108137 2,891,680 6/59 MacAleese 108-153 2,906,574 9/59 Bullock 312111 2,940,804 6/ Bullock 312-111 2,987,362 6/61 Bernath 312 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,482 2/58 Canada.

1,093,736 11/54 France.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A MAIN FLAT WORKING TOP PORTION AND A SUPPLEMENTAL FLAT WORKING TOP PORTION ARRANGED FOR RELATIVE TELESCOPIC MOVEMENTS WHEREBY TO PERMIT SAID SUPPLEMENTAL TOP PORTION TO BE DISPOSED ALTERNATIVELY IN EXTENDED AND RETRACTED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID MAIN TOP PORTION, EACH OF SAID TOP PORTIONS HAVING SUPPORT LEGS THEREUNDER AND SAID MAIN TOP PORTION HAVING A CORNER LEG EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM A CORNER PORTION THEREOF, SAID SUPPLEMENTAL TOP CARRYING AT ONE END THEREOF A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED BRACKET WHICH IS SLOTTED TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF TELESCOPIC MOVEMENT, SAID MAIN TOP HAVING TRACKWAY MEANS MOUNTED THEREON ADJACENT THE END OF SAID MAIN TOP PORTION FROM WHICH SAID CORNER LEG EXTENDS AND RUNNING IN THE DIRECTION OF TELESCOPIC MOVEMENT, PIN MEANS CARRIED SLIDABLY BY SAID TRACKWAY MEANS AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOTTED BRACKET WHEREBY SAID SUPPLEMENTAL TOP PORTION MAY BE ALTERNATIVELY RETRACTED-EXTENDED RELATIVE TO SAID MAIN TOP PORTION WHILE BY-PASSING SAID CORNER LEG AND MAY BE LATERALLY SHIFTED RELATIVE TO SAID MAIN TOP PORTION WHEN CLEAR OF SAID CORNER LEG, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PIN MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING THE LATTER AND THEREBY CLAMPING SAID TOP PORTIONS TOGETHER IN VARIOUS RELATIVE POSITIONS. 